The bird that stops photographers in their tracks.
Spoonbills are like a magnet for cameras. They are another subject that you never get enough of.
Young Spoonbills don’t have the crazy neon colors of the adults, but they also don’t have that green wrinkled bald head either.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
This was taken from a large marsh dike that’s runs alongside another large dike. A canal runs between them, for some reason years ago two dikes made sense.
The water was low and we could see a good sized group of Egrets and Spoonbill all around a wooden trunk. There’s no way to really hide on the dikes. Grass can be 10 feet tall, but there are gaps. The shot below was from one of the openings.
At first I didn’t notice that long tail right in the middle of the lower group. The Alligator was around 9 feet long, just hanging out with birds
As expected we couldn’t walk past the group without them taking off.
In the image below you can see both sides of the wooden trunk, the gates upright. That’s how the trunk system works. Gates are on both sides of the dike, water flows through the wooden ‘pipe’ running through the dike itself. There are thousands of these trunks scattered across the Lowcountry ACE Basin controlling water levels through over the 350,000 acres here.
Bear Island, South Carolina.
The Roseate Spoonbills safe place, away from the chaos of the rookeries. The number of different species nesting here is impressive. Even the shy Wood Storks have moved in.
Spoonbills still don’t have a rookery spot in South Carolina. None in Georgia I know of either. It’s a little surprising since Spoonbills have a history of expanding their range when threatened. The drought in Florida would be a good reason to move on I would think.
Off in the upper left, what I thought were rocks or logs, turned out to be a ‘clump’ of big turtles.
Port Royal, South Carolina.
I love shots that have a lot going on. This is one of them. While it’s nice to have a close up, you see the details. However below tells the story of where you were, perspective with the trees in a swamp, and provides some drama with the swimming Alligator.
On this morning there were thick clouds. That light softens everything and pushes the colors.
Roseate Spoonbills with an American Alligator.
They are staying far away from the action.
This is their first spring/summer in the wetlands and they appear to be unsure of where to settle in.
Can’t say I blame them.
Roseate Spoonbills, Port Royal, South Carolina.
Roseate Spoonbills are known as a species more willing than most birds to change their territory. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, this saved them from extinction in North America (they were Florida only then).
They look to be moving again. Northern Florida has a huge number of Spoonbill. If you view the image below large you can see adults, breeding colors, mixed with our usual juveniles.
Even more interesting is a few pair are building nests in our local swamps, just a few minutes from my home. While they look a little young, and maybe they just got caught up in the rookery activity, it’s still a great sign. Spoonbills are survivors.
Roseate Spoonbills, Port Royal, South Carolina.
We had to slow down to pass a car pulled over on a narrow(ish) road. Two people were standing on the side, looking into the thickets. I think that’s a universal signal something cool can be seen.
Of course we stopped and yes…Spoonbills and Ibis.
You expect to see them walking through a marsh or swamp.
Never know when you will see one.
Roseate Spoonbill.
